On Bangs, Bedrooms, and Why I Feel 16 Again

{I apologize in advance to any male readers in the audience. I know when I talk hair with my sisters-in-law, my brothers' eyes start to roll back in their heads. Feel free to pass on if you don't want to know about the agony of hair decisions.}

Ah, the bangs. I haven't decided if a woman's troubles with hair styles and making decisions about them is a blessing or a curse. It could be a blessing - being able to drastically change your whole look. But it is more often than not a curse - constantly agonizing over choices, which in the end, just grow back out.

I've been thinking about trying bangs again for several months, since I saw a woman that had exceptionally beautiful bangs in a hair color and texture similar to mine. Problem was that every time I would go to cut them, I would chicken out. Since high school, I've had some form of sideswept bangs, but always long and usually pulled back so you couldn't even tell. I had finally grown those out past my chin, and was hesitant on cutting them to a length that I wouldn't be able to mask. Previously, when I wanted to go 'drastic' with my bangs, I would still cut them just long enough that I could pull them back should I change my mind.

At 2 AM this morning, I made a drastic decision, partly fueled by the cup of tea I had which was not decaffeinated (oops) and partly fueled by the desire to do something very different, but not wanting to chop off all my hair since it's taken me so long to get it to this length.

I chopped my bangs - shorter than I have had them since 10th grade, and thicker than I have had them since I thinned them out in 5th grade. Drastic indeed.

(And I realize that in this picture, compared to the pictures of me in my sidebar, it doesn't look like much of a difference. But TRUST me, there is a big difference to me. There is much more hair falling in my eyes... which is the part that annoys me the most!)

I still allowed myself a small cushion. I was thinking of cutting them right at my eyebrows so that I could wear them straight down, no side-sweeping involved. But I decided to go a bit longer at first, just below my eyebrows, and wear them side-swept for a couple days while thinking of trimming them up a bit more. Still playing it safe, even in the drasticness. 

In the end, they will grow out. Whether I will keep them or not, I haven't decided. I like bangs... I even like them on me. What I don't like is the extra work that bangs usually require. And being that I am moving to a very hot, hot climate, I'm not sure if I want hair on my forehead. On the other hand, it's nice having bangs to soften up the face while the rest of the hair is pulled back off my neck. 

Oh, the agonizing decisions of hair.

In other news, I have moved back to my old bedroom - the room that I grew up in this old house. The main reason being this: it was depressing in my room. I was packing up my things, cleaning out, selling stuff online, and giving things away. My attic, that I have worked so hard on and that I so dearly loved, was getting empty and void of its charm. In packing up books, pictures, and memorabilia from my trips, it just wasn't quite the same. This would have been okay, but for the second reason: it's stinkin' hot up there! It has been all summer, of course, but the nights have been so beautiful lately, and I love sleeping with a cracked window and a fan. Much more relaxing than a churning air conditioner. However, the attic is in a constant state of HOT, so sleeping without an air conditioner wasn't really an option. Plus, I only had one window in my bedroom, and I was tired of putting the air conditioner in and out, in and out (and it's probably a miracle that I didn't put it out for good and drop it crashing down three stories). 

So the attic is all cleared out, save for the last couple bookshelves, and I am back in my old room with flowered wallpaper and four big windows, with only the possessions that will be going with me to Africa and eight large suitcases stacked in the corner, waiting to be put to use. It puts my mind at rest knowing that I can pack in an hour or two and be ready to go. Nevermind the fact that I have 7 weeks until I have to do that. :)